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Xiaolan was a little embarrassed: "Um, have you seen Mr. Kurosawa's son? Is he cute? Does he look like Mr. Kurosawa or Miss Bailey?"
"Ah?" Conan was hit in the face by Xiaolan's question. Vodka's big face flashed in his mind, and he shuddered, "Uh, this - actually... they don't look like each other..."
Xiaolan really couldn't suppress her curiosity. After all, Mr. Kurosawa and Miss Bailey were the best-looking people she had ever seen in her life. How cute would the children of such two good-looking people be?
She really regretted that she didn't see it with her own eyes, and only hoped that Conan could describe it to her: "What was it like? I wanted to ask my father, but he said that he was locked in the attic and didn't see the child. You should have seen it, right?"
"She has big eyes, a... square face, and is quite tall. She looks very honest..." Conan looked into Xiaolan's curious eyes and felt himself sweating. "Actually, I didn't see her clearly, and I was taken to the attic..."
Conan tried his best to describe the vodka in a more beautiful way to Xiaolan, but he just couldn't come up with a story and could only say that he didn't see it clearly.
Xiaolan was confused and a little disappointed by Conan's statement, but she was just curious. Without getting an answer, she told Conan to have a good rest and left.
Conan looked at the closed door, wiped his sweat silently, and didn't want to review the situation anymore. He simply buried his head in the quilt and went to sleep.
It happened to be vacation recently and he didn't have to go to school. The next day, he slept until dawn and when he got up, he unexpectedly heard people talking downstairs.
Someone came to uncle to ask for a favor so early in the morning?
Conan rubbed his eyes and ran downstairs, trying to see if there was any case he could join.
But as soon as he reached the door, he was stunned and his face turned pale in an instant.
There was no other reason. The person chatting and laughing with Kogoro Mouri inside the door was none other than Vodka, whom he met yesterday.
How is this going?
Conan subconsciously looked out the window, and even used the high-power magnifying glasses made for him by the doctor, to confirm that there were no snipers organized by the organization on the high-rise building opposite, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
He thought that the organization had discovered his whereabouts and sent Vodka to extract information.
He subconsciously smiled, pushed open the half-open door and went in: "Uncle~"
Maori Kogoro saw Conan coming in, and said to Vodka opposite him with a smile: "It's this little brat, but he relies on what he sees and hears behind me, so he can be a little clever occasionally, hahaha."
After boasting to Vodka, he turned to Conan and said, "This is Uozuka Saburo, a friend I made online. He brought some gifts and came here with his colleagues to thank you."
colleague?
Conan turned his head suddenly, and his neck even made a slight crackling sound due to the sudden movement. His eyes met the sofa near the door, and he found that there was a person sitting on the sofa who was very familiar to him.
"G-Gran—"
Before he finished speaking, Chu Ming interrupted him with a smile: "I am Yuzuka's colleague - Shotake Yusuke, little Conan, we meet again~"
Maori Kogoro was a little confused when he saw Conan's big reaction. After thinking about it, he seemed to understand something: "Oh, yes, you should have met Mr. Shochiku. The world is really small. It turns out that Uozuka and Mr. Shochiku are colleagues."
Chu Ming nodded in agreement, saying meaningfully: "Yes, it's a small world indeed—"
Chapter 684 Life is like this
Conan's face turned a little pale, but he still stayed in the living room and sat next to Granburch, wanting to hear what Vodka was here for this time.
But as he listened, he felt something was wrong. Kogoro Mori and Vodka talked about everything from Mai Kuraki to Yoko Okino, from Asuka Ansai to Terumi Hoshino. They talked a lot about the popular young actresses in the entertainment industry. The more they talked, the more they got along and they wished they could become sworn brothers on the spot.
Chu Ming was listening nearby, and seeing that Vodka really had an expression as if he had met a close friend and wanted to swear an oath of blood alliance, he coughed lightly secretly, reminding Vodka to be careful of the impact.
After all, his elder brother is Gin, and now he is sworn brother to Mouri Kogoro. Is he planning to set up a Peach Garden Oath of Brotherhood?
Vodka, who was chatting happily, heard the cough and then remembered that this was not an offline exchange meeting for his fellow enthusiasts. Granburch was still listening nearby, so he quickly changed the subject: "Haha, Detective Maori actually watches horse racing? I bought number 4 this time, I think it will work hehe."
Maori Kogoro slapped his thigh, turned on the TV in a hurry, and took out the lottery ticket he bought: "I just felt like I forgot something. Today is the day of the finals. I bought number 2. If I win, it will be 300 million!"
Upon hearing this, Vodka came over with great interest and watched the game intently together with Kogoro Mori.
Xiaolan was still busy making coffee in the kitchen. Chu Ming turned his head to Conan as no one was paying attention to this side. "Little detective, have you started the task I gave you last time?"
Conan was stunned, and the figure of Okiya Subaru appeared in his mind. He still had doubts about whether Okiya Subaru was a member of the organization, so he had not sent his photo to Granburch.
He hesitated for a moment, but still took out his cell phone, found the photo of Okiya Subaru, and handed it to Chu Ming: "This is the person. He really did appear next to me suddenly."
When he handed over the phone, he deliberately observed Chu Ming's expression, hoping to judge from Chu Ming's expression and his subsequent words whether this person was a member of the organization.
But to his disappointment, Chu Ming didn't have any special expression on his face. He still looked very gentle: "Keep watching. If anyone else contacts you, or if this person has any strange behavior, report it to me."
Conan's hands unconsciously tapped the sofa cushions under him and looked at Chu Ming: "Can you remove the bomb from Xiaolan? I will do my best for you."
Chu Ming raised his eyebrows and glanced at Xiaolan who was busy in the kitchen. "Little detective, you seem a little naive. This bomb was specially developed by the organization because there are too many traitors. Do you think I don't know what you want to do? Guess, if the switch is not turned off, will this bomb explode the moment it leaves the body?"
Conan's face changed slightly. He had made an appointment with Chu Ming before, saying that he would take Xiaolan to see Dr. Watanabe for a check-up to see if the bomb could be safely removed, but he has not gone yet.
The reason was simple. He was afraid that Granburch had some backup plan for the bomb. What if it exploded once it was detected?
He didn't dare to gamble.
Now that he heard Granburch say that the bomb would explode as soon as it left the body, he was even more afraid to gamble Xiaolan's life on the truthfulness of Granburch's words.
Seeing Conan's expression change but he didn't say anything, Chu Ming put his hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to him: "Detective, don't worry, as long as you listen to me, nothing will happen to your childhood sweetheart. And I didn't ask you to do anything against the law, right? It's just some simple tasks. For you, it won't conflict with your sense of justice and you can keep your childhood sweetheart, isn't it great?"
Conan is not stupid. Although it seems that Granburch has not asked him to do anything at the moment, his bottom line is being encroached upon step by step.
As he walks into the darkness step by step, is he still the same person he was before?
Conan didn't know, but he couldn't refuse.
This was why he had tried so hard to hide. The organization could make countless mistakes, but he could not. Once his identity was discovered, he would either kill the people around him, or be dragged into the darkness step by step as in the current situation.
"Why are you reacting so strongly? Are you being pretentious? I didn't ask you to stab that guy called Okiya Subaru with a knife." Chu Ming didn't know that Conan's thoughts were almost scattered to outer space. He looked at Conan's clenched palms and couldn't help but speak for the sofa, "If you keep squeezing it, the sofa will break. Detective Maori will think it was me who did it."
Conan subconsciously let go of his hand and looked at Chu Ming with a somewhat inexplicable look. This tone really sounded like Brother Chu Ming...
No, no.
Conan shook his head violently. What was he thinking about? He had already proven that this suspicion was wrong. Moreover, Huibara was almost discovered by the organization. It was Chu Ming who rescued Huibara from Granburch and was seriously injured for this. How could he have such a ridiculous guess again...
"Ah!!! I knew that God still favors me! 300 million! Hahaha! He really didn't abandon the Mouri Detective Agency which is almost out of food this month!" Mouri Kogoro's excited shout attracted the attention of Chu Ming and Conan. He swung the lottery ticket in his hand vigorously and almost cried for joy.
Vodka on the side was much calmer. He was not sad because his ticket did not win. After all, he got a lot of money every month.
The tasks he did with Gin were all high-risk and high-return. Gin's success rate was so high, and he was not a stingy person, so the amount he got could not be a small amount. So even though he was chasing after many celebrities at the same time and his expenses were huge, he still had a lot of money in his pocket.
Maori Kogoro nudged the vodka beside him, his face full of pride: "Come on, come on, I'll treat you to a drink at noon today! Let me tell you, I recently discovered an izakaya, and the proprietress of that restaurant is really-"
Considering Xiaolan in the kitchen, Kogoro Mouri didn't say it too clearly, but Vodka still understood from the way he kept making hints with his eyes.
It's not that he wasn't tempted, but when he subconsciously looked in Chu Ming's direction and saw that his eyes lit up when he heard the word "izakaya", he suddenly couldn't move.
Now that the eldest brother who could suppress the situation by force is not here, and Vermouth who could barely coax people is not here either, how could he, alone, stop Granburch from going crazy?
He has decided that during the time he is with Granburch, he will not drink a drop of alcohol!
Just at this moment, the result of the horse race suddenly flashed, and he quickly diverted Maori Kogoro's attention: "Wait, it seems that the result has changed."
Maori Kogoro turned around quickly and heard the commentator say with regret: "Oh, horse number two was disqualified because of diagonal running, so the winner is horse number four!"
"what!!!"
a bolt from the blue.
This result was like a bolt of thunder to Kogoro Mori, who was just filled with joy, and it struck his soul away.
He sat in a chair with lifeless eyes, muttering to himself: "How could this happen? I finally got the upper hand, but it's gone just like that. Isn't God on the side of the unfortunate?"
Chu Ming picked up the coffee that Xiaolan had just brought out from the coffee table and took a sip. He comforted him halfheartedly, trying to get him to cheer up and take him and Vodka to the izakaya: "Why do you have to be so sad, Mr. Maori? Isn't life like this, ups and downs..."
But these words failed to comfort Kogoro Mori at all. Hearing them, he became even more depressed, as if he was about to break.
Chapter 685 Other people’s success is more worrying
Vodka wasn't really good at comforting people. He looked at the horse racing results and patted Maori Kogoro on the shoulder: "It's okay, Detective Maori. Although you didn't win, the ticket I bought did. I'll treat you to a drink - uh, a meal - at noon today."
Vodka promptly swallowed the word "drink" and silently changed it to "eat". Even when he met Chu Ming's gaze, he turned his head away resolutely.
Drinking? Absolutely not!
Maori Kogoro didn't care whether Vodka was treating him to a drink or a meal. He just felt more sad and angry: "My own failure is painful, but the success of others makes me even more worried! Shouldn't this kind of award be won by a poor person like me? At that moment, I had already planned how to spend the money!"
"That's true. It seems that rich people are more likely to win the lottery." Xiaolan just brought the last cup of coffee from the kitchen and handed it to Maori Kogoro. Hearing this, she suddenly remembered something: "Wasn't there a report some time ago that a rich family's eldest daughter bought a lottery ticket and won 100 million."
Maori Kogoro became even more jealous after hearing this: "What?! How can I not be such an emperor of luck?!!!"
Xiaolan added: "But this young lady didn't intend to keep the lottery ticket. She planned to give it to the person who saved her life when she was in a car accident as a child. So she accepted the interview with the TV station, hoping that the boy would see the report and go to see her."
Chu Ming sat up straight. He was very interested in this kind of gossip. Hearing this, he interrupted and asked, "Has the boy been found in the end?"
Xiaolan shook her head: "It seems not yet. The rich girl was blinded by a car accident when she was a child, and she only saw her savior when she was a child. Now, after so many years, his voice and appearance are completely different, so it is difficult to tell them apart."
Chu Ming tapped his fingers on the armrest of the sofa. "Then how can that lady judge that the person who comes to her to collect the money is the lifesaver she is looking for? What if someone pretends to collect the money——"
"With the wound. In that accident, the boy left a long wound in order to save the rich lady. Even if the voice and appearance have changed, the scar will not change."
Maori Kogoro was very excited when he heard this. He stood up with his eyes shining: "I have scars on my body too! I have a scar on my shoulder. I got it accidentally before. Can I use this scar to get away with it?"
Chu Ming had left the sofa and moved closer to Maori Kogoro and the others when he was listening to the story. Hearing this, he pulled Vodka's sleeve and said, "Afu, you seem to have a scar on your body too? I saw it last time. It was a horizontal scar on your back. When did you get injured? Forget it, it's not important. Why don't you try it too?"
"How can this be possible? Isn't this cheating?" Xiaolan frowned. Because Chu Ming and his friends were guests, she could only stare at Maori Kogoro. "How can you cheat people with something like this?"
Vodka laughed twice in a naive manner and said nothing. He didn't care. It was only 100 million yuan anyway. The organization still had sufficient funds and there was no need for him to rely on his scars to cheat money. But if Chu Ming really forced him to go, he would have no room for refusal.
Maori Kogoro laughed twice: "I'm just saying it. Besides, we don't know where the scar is."
"It was a big straight wound." With the sound of a blind stick, a man and a woman pushed the door open and walked in. The woman wore sunglasses and tapped the ground with her blind stick, while the man followed her silently. "Although I couldn't see much afterwards, the scene of his injury has always been in my mind."
Xiaolan turned around in surprise: "You, you are the rich lady? The one who won the 100 million prize...?"
Maori Kogoro cleared his throat, straightened his clothes that had been messed up when he showed the scar to everyone, and immediately got into work mode: "So this lady is here to ask me, the famous detective Maori Kogoro, to use this scar as a clue to find the boy back then, right?"
Shoutang Kurumi did not answer, but subconsciously turned her face to her side. Her butler, Hoko Taisuke, immediately responded, "Yes, there are currently two people who have come forward to claim that they are the boy, but they both have their own opinions, so the lady plans to use the power of Detective Mori to find out who the real boy is."
Seeing that Maori Kogoro had come to work, Vodka was about to say goodbye, but Chu Ming spoke first: "I have always heard of the name of Detective Maori. I wonder if I have the honor to observe your heroic deduction today?"
Facing Chu Ming's sincere and admiring eyes, Maori Kogoro was immediately overwhelmed, and agreed without thinking: "Of course I have no problem! It's just that Miss Shodo--"
Zhuangtang Hutao sat upright on the sofa and said in a gentle tone, "Of course, no problem. Normally, the housekeeper and I are the only ones living in the manor. If you don't mind the quietness and are willing to come over as a guest, I would welcome you very much."
After expressing his gratitude to Zhuangtang Kurumi, Chu Ming and Vodka squeezed on both sides of Maori Kogoro and listened to the details told by Zhuangtang Kurumi.
Zhuang Tang Hu Tao said that after the news was released, two people came to her one after another and said that they were the young man from thirty years ago. However, because she had described the events of that year in detail during the interview, the two people who came to her could tell the details of the time and she could not tell them apart.
As for the two men's scars, one was on the back and the other on the chest. Miss Zhuang Tang only remembered that when they were injured, the boy's scar extended from one armpit to the other, but she had no idea whether it was in front or behind.
Miss Zhuang Tang described her encounter with the boy, their pleasant interactions, and their reluctance to part. She even said that she could still remember the boy holding her hand firmly when she cried and said she didn't want to leave, saying that if she didn't leave, he could protect her...
Maori Kogoro's mouth twitched. He looked at Shodo Kurumi's current age, hesitated for a while, and asked, "Thirty years ago, you were not that old either, right?"